‘Put on a Dress and Cook’: TV Host’s Housework Remarks Trigger Backlash

‘Put on a Dress and Cook’: TV Host’s Housework Remarks Trigger Backlash
Television host Zoran Pejić Peja has faced a wave of criticism after making comments about who should cook and perform household chores.

During an appearance on Red TV, Pejić said that domestic work should be reserved for women and that men should not take on tasks such as cooking, vacuuming or mopping. “At our house, it is known who is the woman and who is the man,” he said, adding that he was proud of his partner because she cooked. He then mocked men who work in the kitchen: “When I see a man in the kitchen chopping, I think, buddy, put on a dress and cook.”

The remarks quickly spread on social media and prompted strong reactions, particularly from women in Serbia and the wider region. Critics described the statement as insulting, primitive and rooted in an outdated view of marriage and gender roles.

Some respondents directly challenged Pejić’s position by pointing to their own relationships. One woman wrote that she and her husband were both cooks and that he cooked better than she did. Another questioned why a man should not help if doing so could reduce his partner’s workload, while others wrote that Pejić was “living in the 18th century.”

The controversy centers on the contrast between Pejić’s defense of strictly traditional household roles and critics’ insistence that chores should be shared according to ability and choice rather than gender. The report also noted Pejić’s comments about his personal life, including that his current partner is 31 years younger than he is, though those remarks were separate from the backlash over housework.